Check out the Introductory Documentation for Navigatrix


If Navigatrix is not already on the stick, Windows users need to download the installer. Read the prompts after double clicking the installer and put the system file (navigatrix.iso) on a 4 Gigabyte USB stick/ SD Card. Read the prompts.

Linux users can just download the system file ISO and use a startup USB stick creator that comes with your distribution.

After you've created the stick; or in my imaginary case, someone gave you a 4 Gigabyte USB stick or 4 Gigabyte SD card with the Navigatrix system on it; what do you do now?

Place the the USB with the completed installation into the computer and turn it on.

If your machine is manufactured after 2000 it should be able to boot from a USB port. However, you will probably have to tell it to boot from the stick because that is generally not the default setting.

How you do this is a guess. Really. On a normal machine (remember, I'm talking about my computer) <F2> will take me to the BIOS. (On another machine it's the <del>.) There, by following what's on the screen, I can change my default boot behaviour. I can also turn on <F12> so I can select which device, the hard drive, or the USB stick, I wish to start. Your computer will be different just to make it interesting. If you have a newer/faster machine you get a speed reading test too. It might mean trying 3,4,6 times to fully understand which keys you need to hit when...and then remember for the next time.

This is why I changed my BIOS to boot from the stick by default. I only had to set it up once. So when I wanted to run Navigatrix all I had to do was put in the stick, turn the computer, go get a cool drink, come back, get comfy and it was ready. I didn't have to play the 3 seconds to remember, find and hit a key to boot from the stick game. It's much easier.

Easier still is to boot from the stick and select the 'Hard drive Install Option' and create a faster Navigatrix system. If you have a Microsoft Windows system already installed and for some reason want to keep it in a dual-boot situation check out https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WindowsDualBoot for enough information to guide you through the process.

If you have an antique and it ran Windows 98 and/or XP and it also has USB ports but is so old the BIOS doesn't allow booting from a USB stick you're still in luck. Using your Windows operating system look in the "tools" folder. There is directory called "plop". All the information and tools you need for Plop are in there. There is also additional information at:

http://www.plop.at/

You won't need the information, but I though it was a funny URL and so I threw it in.

Anyway, this is how you make it work. What you do with it is up to you.

I ran into a problem with the BIOS on a computer last night.

Everything was just like your computer <F2> for BIOS setup; <F12> for on the fly boot option.

The problem was, after running Windows 7, the BIOS was reverted back to boot from the hard drive as default. Windows 7 apparently messes with the BIOS settings because multiple boots from Navigatrix in various tests preserved the choices I made. Windows 7 un-does those choices.

If Windows is going to stay on this computer anyone who uses it will have to hit <F12> in the beginning to provide boot options and select the USB device.

<snide editorial comment about Windows>

Because it makes no sense to change the BIOS every time just because you used Windows.

I was installing Navigatrix on an Asus Eeee 12volt cutie and It recognized the USB stick as a hard drive.

Changing the boot priority to USB device did not work.

...but just further down on the same BIOS screen was hard drives.

In that option there was the regular hard drive as the first drive, and the USB was listed as the second drive.

I just reversed their positions; saved the day and everything work like a charm.

I burned the iso to a dvd (as image) and when i put the dvd into the dvd player and restart the computer navigatrix starts by itself. I didnt even have to go to the bios. From there i could install to the computer with the "Harddisk install option" on the desktop.

Hi:

Trying to try Navigatrix, as I have heard good things about it. I have gone through loading a brand new USB flash twice, and tried on my new (64 bit win 7) and my old 32 xp computer but get same message:

No DEFAULT or UI configuration directive found!

Ideas on where to start?

Thanks

Dan
S/V Respite

The first thing you should check if you have an un-bootable error is you have the whole ISO and that it wasn't corrupted during download.

This is done by comparing MD5Checksum numbers.

The Navigatrix ISO checksum is:

MD5: 1ffb7ab0ea86ad334262290d68484612

You can compare your downloaded file with this number by using

http://www.winmd5.com/download/winmd5free.zip

...or search your favourite search engine for one of your choosing.

On a linux machine an application is normally installed to do this and it is:

md5sum /location/and/file_name

If it checks out the next question would be if you ran the Navigatrix Start Up Disk Creator on the 64 or 32 bit machine....

I've tried to download the following file as directed:
Step 2:
Only necessary for Windows!
Download the Startup Disk Creator

Unfortunately the file appears infected (according to my Norton anyway) and I can't run it. Can you please re-post a clean copy of your file or direct me to an alternate source where I can access the file?

The file is clean. There are no viruses; no malware; no worms; no trojans; no nada.

The installer program has the ability to write to the boot sector and does....a requirement to create a bootable USB stick.

Some antivirus programs think this is a bad thing...and it usually is unless you want to create a bootable media...such as a LiveCD Linux distribution like Navigatrix.

There are few things to consider.

1) It is hard (very hard) to hide a virus or other junk in opensource software....such as most of Navigatrix (exception AirMail, PolarCom, wxtide...).

2) An infected installer, especially with the level of sophistication of many Navigatrix users would not be tolerated much less a secret.

3) Reputation and trust are hard to come by and easy to destroy.

Turn off your Norton for the creation of the stick. Turn it back on when the process is finished.

When you become familiar with the Navigatrix operating system you might even consider that you need neither Norton nor Windows.

...and welcome to the opensource community.

I've been having some difficulty with Download after registering.

I've tried it on two computers, a slow old one with Firefox and a newer one.

Step 1 Download the Navigatrix ISO from a Server in America
or the Torrent Network When I click "America" the browser tries to open the file! --lots of characters and hangs up/crash. When I right click and try "Save link as..." it seems to download.

Step 2 "Download the Disk Creator" works fine with a left click or a right click and save line as....

Then when I start the Disk Creator, I cannot un-select the check box "format the media" (do I have to format it? - I have other files on the disk) and also I cannot enter the drive letter, nothing will enter. So I cannot make a bootup USB disk for windows.

Is there any way to just copy the iso to the USB disk?
Also can I have other files alongside in the USB disk?

Thanks very much.

I'm not sure what's going on with the server.

I just checked and someone from the hosting company was crawling around the insides. This site is on a shared server so it could a number of reasons.

Regarding the Windows Installer I also just took a look. Windows 7 wasn't a problem...however, XP was temperamental.

The problem was XP wasn't giving an accurate assessment of the USB. Why? I don't know.

Without recognition of the USB the Installer can't install, and none of the fiddly things work.

I opened the Control Panel> System> Hardware> Device Manager...

Located the USB> Right Click for Properties> Volumes> Populate...

When done> Ok... The USB then had a Drive Designator and the Format Button was selectable.

While it is recommended to format; it is not necessary. A FAT32 filesystem is required.

Give that a go.

...and good luck.

Moe, Thank you. This looks crystal clear to me. I don't know why I did not think of going into USB. Very helpful!
Navagatrix here we come. Also Thank you David and Capt-Corilon
Rick

Ok here are the results Summary: It does not appear to work on this Sandisk Cruzer Glide USB Drive [16GB] which appears under Computer > Hard Disks.

Control Panel > System > Device Manager > Disk Drives > Sandisk Cruzer Glide USB Drive > Right Click > Properties > Tab Police -Optimize for performance and Tab Volume Click POPULATE the [F] and 15252mb Show in the window. Click OK.

Start, double click navagatrix_setup.exe, run screen appears, finds navagatrix.iso
Step 3 Select USB. Cannot see or select [F].

Have also tried full reformat of the USB drive, wiping out all SanDisk programs, and a quick format. Still does not work.

Have tried putting a 2gb Memorex USB in at same time on one occassion. Shows as [E:/] Drive and it also shows up in the Navagatrix_Setup.exe!!! It is listed in the "Removeable Drive" List instead of Hard Drives. The other 16GB one shows up under "Hard Driives" as [F:] and will not show up in the iso install program. I wonder why? Different manufacture, driver, etc?

Is the 2gb USB from Memorex a large enough drive? I think the install will work with that drive. Also I could only find USB 2.0 keys -are they ok?

Thanks so much.

I'm having the same issue with using the EXE to create the bootable disk. So whatever reason it isn't allowing me to Select the USB device and the box is greyed out. I've spent 5 hours on this now and am at a complete loss. Any other ideas?

Could you get the Windows system to "populate" your USB?

Windows must see the USB in order for the executable, the Windows installer, to 'see' it.

I did a brief check around and there is some finger pointing at Norton/Symantec interfering....someone else said...but without more detail it's speculation.

Bonjour

je viens de télécharger Navigatrix sur clé usb 8GB , pas de probléme , le fichier iso
est ok controle MD5 , le setup windows est ok controle MD5
J' ai bien l'application navigatrix et ses logiciels ok
mais le n'ai pas les modifications
Exemple , je change l'heure dans navigatrix , j'ai bien l'heure mais quand
je rebbot mon PC , l'heure revient comme avant
j'ai la même chose sur opencpn
merci de me donner une solution
Amicalement
Luc

Est-ce que l'heure / horloge qui revient, ou ne la position du bateau dans OpenCPN, par exemple, revenir aussi?

Bonsoir
tout ce que fais sur Navigatrix , est perdu lorsque je reboot , écran moins brillant
alimentation changé etc .
on dirait que je ne fait pas de sauvegarde et je reviens comme je l'ai installé
D'autre part lorsque j'écris en hypertherminal
df -h
je n'ai pas le directory home

Merci de ta réponse
Luc

Je pense que vous êtes absent le fichier de persistance.


Cherchez....plus d'options

Selon la taille de votre clé USB, sélectionnez:
creer 1Go persistante...creer 4Go persistante.

pour la clé de 8 Go, 2 Go essayer

Il prendra 5-10 minutes.

Bonne chance.

Merci beaucoup , je viens de le faire
c'est ok ,je peux modifier opencpn etc
et encore
Merci
Luc

cool.